Cops & Neighbours

Last week was weird in many ways. But the strangest of all would have to be the mystery surrounding the round-the-clock presence of the police on my floor in my apartment building.

You see, I live in a secure building, which means that to get into the building and up to any floor, you need a security access card to do so, or unless you are buzzed in by someone living in the building. The security access is limited to the areas you are permitted to be in, i.e. I live on level 8, so I am permitted to access the lift to level 8, my car parking space on level P7, and the mezzanine level where the pool and the gym are located. To access another floor, e.g. level 9 where my friends Thomas and Sarah live, I must either be buzzed in by Thomas, or be accompanied by someone who has access to that floor.

So it was rather strange that on Wednesday night, on my return from work at 6.30pm, to find 2 policewomen sitting outside my neighbour’s apartment door and talking quietly amongst themselves.

At that time, I didn’t pay much notice to them. I simply thought they were waiting for my neighbour to let them in. I continued into my apartment and didn’t think anything more of it.

When I left for my friend’s house for dinner an hour later, the police officers were still there. This time, I was a little bit concerned, so I asked them if they were being looked after. They said they were waiting for my neighbour, so although feeling uneasy, I decided to continue with my journey.

The police officers where still there when I returned at 10.30pm. And they were now joined by 2 more policemen and 2 other officers with "Forensics" stamped across their backs. The Forensics guys were in the full kit – overalls, cotton booties over their shoes, etc.

The police party of 6 were all standing in the lift foyer, in quiet discussion about their case, when I stepped out of the lift that evening. I heard one of the Forensics guys say "I’ll just go and grab the kit and start processing then" before he jumped into the vacant lift. The huge police presence in a small lift foyer was now quite concerning, so I tried to find out why they were there.

I asked if everything was ok. One policeman said "Yes." I then asked what was going on. I was met with "Everything’s fine, madam. Please continue on into your apartment." So I did.

I tried to go to sleep, but the police presence was very unsettling, so I thought I’d do another walk-by to see if the police were still in front of my neighbour’s door, on the pretence that I was taking garbage to the rubbish room. And sure enough, they were all still there. This time, I didn’t even ask. I went back into my apartment and dead bolted my door.

When I left for work on Thursday morning, the cops were still there. I overheard one policewoman say to her colleague, "I’ve never been involved in a crime scene like this case before." Visions of a dead body being wheeled out in a black plastic bag through the loading dock stayed with me for most of Thursday.

I did eventually find out what happened. My neighbour was taken away by ambulance on Wednesday afternoon, after appearing at the concierge desk in the building foyer with her face covered in blood. She told the concierge she was assaulted in her apartment and the police and the ambos were called. Because she claimed she was assaulted, the Forensics guys were there to check over the crime scene.

The concierge on duty (who supplied the above information) also told me that the neighbour was a bit kooky and has been known to cause self-harm. He was working as the concierge in the building where she last lived (not far from my apartment building) and a similar incident involving my neighbour had previously occurred. My neighbour suffered minor cuts and abrasions and was being held in hospital under observation for a couple of days. She was due to be released over the weekend.

Not sure how to feel after hearing the news. On one hand, I’m glad there were no dead bodies, but on the other hand, my neighbour is nuts!!! Here’s hoping she keeps all that to herself – I really don’t need to be served any more hot cups of crazy!!!

One response to “Cops & Neighbours”

That reminds me of living in Japan and leaving my apartment, looking at the cops and stuff at a neighbouring building, walking past all the cops to the 7-11 and when i came home they wouldnt let me in while they did thier thing at a neighbouring apartment block!!! And i got to go through all the fun of showing them my resident alien card and stuff.

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This blog was (and still is) my writing sanctuary for many years, a place for my thoughts, observations and random musings. All thoughts, observations and random musings are mine and mine alone. Read it if you dare.